Pramod Kumar vs The State Of Bihar on 23 July, 2026

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    Patna High Court

    Pramod Kumar vs The State Of Bihar on 23 July, 2026

    Author: Sandeep Kumar

    Bench: Sandeep Kumar

              IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                      CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.54892 of 2024
               Arising Out of PS. Case No.-6 Year-2024 Thana- KHIRI MORE District- Patna
         ======================================================
         Pramod Kumar Son Of Ramayan Yadav R/O- Village- Dahiya, P.S.- Khiri
         More, Distt.- Patna
    
                                                                           ... ... Petitioner/s
                                               Versus
    1.   The State Of Bihar
    2.   Madhes Kumar @ Ankit @ Madhes Yadav Son Of Late Ramdeo Yadav
         R/O- Village- Dahiya, P.S.- Khiri More, Distt.- Patna
    
                                                ... ... Opposite Party/s
         ======================================================
         Appearance :
         For the Petitioner/s     :       Mr. Dineshwar Tiwary, Advocate
         For the Opposite Party/s :       Mr. Ajay Kumar Jha, APP
         For the O.P. No. 2       :       Mr. Ashok Kumar Sinha, Advocate
         ======================================================
         CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SANDEEP KUMAR
                             ORAL JUDGMENT
                                       Date : 23-07-2026
    
    
                           Heard learned counsel for the petitioner, learned
    
          APP for the State and learned counsel for the opposite party
    
          no.2.
    
                           2. The present application has been filed by the
    
          petitioner-informant under Section 439(2) of the Code of
    
          Criminal Procedure, 1973, for cancellation of the regular bail
    
          granted to the opposite party no.2, namely, Madhes Kumar @
    
          Ankit @ Madhes Yadav, by a Coordinate Bench of this Court,
    
          vide order dated 20.06.2024 passed in Cr. Misc. No.41671 of
    
          2024, in connection with Khiri More P.S. Case No.06 of 2024,
    
          registered for the offences punishable under Sections 147, 148,
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             149, 341, 323, 325, 308 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code and
    
             Section 27 of the Arms Act. The principal ground urged is that
    
             the said order was obtained by suppressing the criminal
    
             antecedents of the opposite party no.2 and by misrepresenting
    
             the nature of the injuries sustained by the injured persons, in
    
             paragraph nos. 3 and 7 of his bail petition.
    
                             3. The prosecution case, as per the fardbeyan of the
    
             petitioner-informant recorded on 05.01.2024 at about 23:45
    
             hours, is that on the same day, at about 6:30 P.M., eighteen
    
             named accused persons of his own village, including the
    
             opposite party no.2, armed with lathi, danda and pistols, came
    
             to his door on account of an old dispute and started hurling
    
             abuses. When the informant and his family members protested
    
             and forbade them, the accused persons assaulted the informant
    
             with lathi and danda. Thereupon, the opposite party no.2,
    
             Madhes Yadav, along with the co-accused Awadhesh Yadav,
    
             Rahul Kumar, Chandan Kumar and Krishna Yadav, opened fire
    
             from the pistols in their hands with the intention to kill, as a
    
             result whereof Suman Yadav and Savitri Kumari, the gotias of
    
             the informant, and Amit Kumar of the village sustained gunshot
    
             injuries, while the cousin of the informant was injured by lathi
    
             blows. The injured were sent to AIIMS, Patna, for treatment. In
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             the fardbeyan, the informant further alleged that the opposite
    
             party no.2 is a man of criminal disposition who had come out of
    
             jail only a few days prior to the occurrence.
    
                             4. On the basis of the said fardbeyan, Khiri More
    
             P.S. Case No.06 of 2024 was registered on 06.01.2024 for the
    
             offences punishable under Sections 147, 148, 149, 341, 323,
    
             325, 308 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 27 of the
    
             Arms Act. As per the seizure list, three empty cartridge cases
    
             bearing the punch mark 7.65 on their base and two live
    
             cartridges of the same bore were seized from the place of
    
             occurrence in the presence of independent witnesses.
    
                             5. The opposite party no.2 was taken into custody
    
             on 30.01.2024. He, thereafter, moved this Court for grant of
    
             regular bail by filing Cr. Misc. No.41671 of 2024. In paragraph
    
             no.3 of the said bail petition, he averred that he has fair
    
             antecedent except Sahar P.S. Case No.184 of 2021, instituted for
    
             the offences under Sections 25(1-B)(a)/26 of the Arms Act.
    
             Further, in paragraph no.7 thereof, he averred that the injured
    
             persons had been treated at AIIMS, Patna, and that the injuries
    
             are not grievous in nature.
    
                             6. The said bail petition was allowed by a
    
             Coordinate Bench of this Court vide the order dated 20.06.2024,
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             which is impugned in the present proceeding. The relevant
    
             portion of the said order reads thus:-
    
                                             "4. Learned counsel for the petitioner
                                             has submitted that the petitioner is
                                             innocent       and   has        falsely     been
                                             implicated in this case. There is general
                                             and omnibus allegation against the
                                             petitioner. The injuries sustained by the
                                             informant's sides are simple in nature.
                                             Both     the   parties    are     co-villagers.
                                             Nothing has been recovered from the
                                             conscious possession of the petitioner.
                                             The petitioner has clean antecedent as
                                             stated in para 3 of the bail petition. The
                                             petitioner      is   in     custody       since
                                             30.01.2024.
    
                                             5

    . Learned A.P.P. for the State has
    vehemently opposed the bail petition of
    the petitioner.

    6. Considering the aforesaid facts and
    circumstances of the case as well as the
    period of custody, the petitioner above-

    SPONSORED

    named, is directed to be enlarged on
    bail on furnishing bail-bond of
    Rs.20,000/- (Rupees Twenty Thousand)
    with two sureties of the like amount
    each to the satisfaction of learned Court
    concerned, Danapur in connection with
    Khiri More P.S. Case No. 06 of 2024,
    with a condition:

    (i) The petitioner is directed to remain
    physically present before the learned
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    Court below on each and every date,
    failing which on two consecutive dates
    without reasonable cause, the bail bond
    of the petitioner is liable to be
    cancelled.

    7. The application stands allowed.”

    (emphasis supplied)

    7. At the outset, the learned counsel for the

    petitioner has submitted that the impugned order dated

    20.06.2024 is vitiated, having been obtained by the opposite

    party no.2 upon a deliberate suppression of his criminal

    antecedents. It is pointed out that, as against the solitary case

    disclosed in paragraph no.3 of the aforesaid bail petition, the

    opposite party no.2 was, on the date of filing of the said petition,

    an accused in as many as five criminal cases, namely, :-

    (i) Paliganj P.S. Case No.54 of 2012,
    under Sections 341, 323, 504, 384 and
    379 of the Indian Penal Code;

    (ii) Khiri More P.S. Case No.63 of
    2014, under Sections 323, 324 and
    354 of the Indian Penal Code;

    (iii) Khiri More P.S. Case No.59 of
    2015, under Sections 341, 323, 504/34
    of the Indian Penal Code;

    (iv) Sahar P.S. Case No.111 of 2019,
    under Sections 302/120-B/34 of the
    Indian Penal Code, being a case of
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    murder; and

    (v) Sahar P.S. Case No.184 of 2021,
    under Sections 25(1-B)(a)/26 of the
    Arms Act.

    8. The learned counsel for the petitioner has

    emphasised that the suppression practised by the opposite party

    no.2 is twofold. In the first place, four out of the five criminal

    cases, including the case of murder, were wholly concealed

    from this Court. In the second place, even the solitary case

    which was disclosed, namely, Sahar P.S. Case No.184 of 2021

    under the Arms Act, was disclosed as a mere accusation,

    whereas the opposite party no.2 had, in fact, been convicted in

    the said case by the learned A.C.J.M.-VI, Bhojpur at Ara,

    against which Cr. Appeal No.54 of 2023 is pending before the

    learned Additional Sessions Judge-II, Bhojpur at Ara. It is,

    therefore, the categorical submission of the learned counsel for

    the petitioner that a man who stands convicted under the Arms

    Act, and who is alleged in the present case to have fired upon

    three persons with a pistol, falsely portrayed himself before this

    Court as a man of fair antecedent and thereby obtained the

    privilege of bail.

    9. It is next submitted that the said

    misrepresentation was neither idle nor inconsequential. The
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    impugned order passed by the Coordinate Bench of this Court

    enlarging the opposite party no.2 on bail, itself records, in

    paragraph no.4 thereof, that the petitioner has clean antecedent

    as stated in para 3 of the bail petition. This demonstrates that the

    false portrayal of clean antecedents was expressly noticed by the

    Coordinate Bench while exercising its discretion in favour of

    the opposite party no.2, and that the consideration of the prayer

    for bail proceeded upon an erroneous and false premise induced

    by the opposite party no.2 himself.

    10. The learned counsel for the petitioner has

    further submitted that the opposite party no.2 equally

    misrepresented the nature of the injuries sustained by the injured

    persons. In paragraph no.7 of the bail petition, it was asserted

    that the injuries are not grievous in nature. It is emphasised by

    the learned counsel for the petitioner that the injury reports of

    AIIMS, Patna, dated 05.01.2024, which were suppressed, tell a

    totally different story. They describe the two penetrating

    gunshot wounds sustained by Savitri Kumari, a girl of about

    seventeen years, as grievous in nature, and they record that the

    injured Suman Yadav sustained penetrating gunshot wounds on

    the right upper quadrant of the abdomen and on the flank, the

    abdomen being a vital region of the body. It is submitted that the
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    opposite party no.2 thus suppressed the actual injury reports and

    placed a false and diluted picture of the medical evidence before

    this Court.

    11. It is also submitted by the learned counsel

    for the petitioner that the concealment cannot be said to be

    inadvertent, inasmuch as the fardbeyan itself recited that the

    opposite party no.2 is a man of criminal disposition who had

    come out of jail only a few days prior to the occurrence.

    Reliance has been placed upon the decisions of the Hon’ble

    Supreme Court in Kusha Duruka v. State of Odisha, reported

    as (2024) 4 SCC 432, Kaushal Singh v. State of Rajasthan,

    reported as 2025 SCC OnLine SC 1473 = 2025 INSC 871,

    Deepak Yadav v. State of U.P. & Anr., reported as (2022) 8

    SCC 559, Neeru Yadav v. State of U.P. & Anr., reported as

    (2014) 16 SCC 508, State of Karnataka v. Sri Darshan etc.,

    reported as 2025 SCC OnLine SC 1702, and upon the recent

    pronouncement of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the

    case of Rajni v. State of Punjab & Anr., reported as 2026 SCC

    OnLine SC 1050.

    12. The learned Additional Public Prosecutor for

    the State has supported the prayer for cancellation of bail and

    had not disputed the fact that the opposite party no.2, who is a
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    previously convicted accused with a pending case of murder

    against him, had obtained bail from this Court by projecting

    himself as a man of clean antecedents. It is also submitted that

    the parties are co-villagers and the witnesses, including the

    injured, are vulnerable to being influenced. Lastly, it is

    submitted that the privilege of bail, obtained by such

    misrepresentation, deserves to be withdrawn.

    13. Per contra, the learned counsel for the

    opposite party no.2 has opposed the present application. It is

    submitted that the considerations governing the cancellation of

    bail stand on a footing entirely different from those governing

    its grant, and that bail once granted is not to be cancelled in a

    routine, mechanical or punitive manner in the absence of misuse

    of the liberty, breach of the conditions of bail, interference with

    the trial, threat to the witnesses or an attempt to abscond. It is

    emphasised that ever since his enlargement, the opposite party

    no.2 has never misused the privilege of bail, that he has been

    regularly attending the learned Court below, and that the present

    application discloses no supervening circumstance whatsoever.

    Reliance has been placed upon the decisions of the Hon’ble

    Supreme Court in the cases of Dolat Ram & Ors. v. State of

    Haryana, reported as (1995) 1 SCC 349, Abdul Basit @ Raju
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    & Ors. v. Mohd. Abdul Kadir Chaudhary & Anr., reported as

    (2014) 10 SCC 754, and Himanshu Sharma v. State of

    Madhya Pradesh, reported as (2024) 4 SCC 222.

    14. On the aspect of the non-disclosure of the

    criminal antecedents, the learned counsel for the opposite party

    no.2 has submitted that the criminal antecedents enumerated

    hereinabove are admitted in paragraph no.4 of the counter

    affidavit. It is, however, sought to be explained, in paragraph

    nos. 5, 6 and 8 thereof, that the pairvikar of the opposite party

    no.2, at the time of filing of the bail petition, could not disclose

    the real criminal antecedents to the learned counsel appearing

    therein due to lack of knowledge and disclosed only Sahar P.S.

    Case No.184 of 2021, and that the mistake was not made by the

    opposite party no.2 intentionally or deliberately, rather it

    occurred due to the mistake of the pairvikar, for which the

    opposite party no.2 has tendered his apologies. The relevant

    paragraphs of the counter affidavit filed on behalf of the

    opposite party no.2 read as under:-

    “4. That it is stated here that petitioner also
    implicated and made accused in (I)
    Paliganj P.S. Case No. 54 of 2012
    registered under Sections
    341
    ,323,504,384,379 of Indian Penal
    Code in which he is on bail. (II) Khiri
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    More P.S. Case No. 63 of 2014
    registered under Sections 323,324,354
    of Indian Penal Code in which matter
    has compromise and compromise
    petition filed before learned court below
    and he is on bail. (III) Khiri More P.S.
    Case No. 59 of 2015 registered under
    Sections 341,323,504/34 of Indian
    Penal Code in which O.P. No.- 2
    acquitted by learned trial court by
    order/judgment dated 19-04-2025. (IV)
    Sahar P.S. Case No. 111 of 2019
    registered under Section 302/34 of
    Indian Penal Code in which he is on
    bail. (V) Sahar P.S. Case No. 184 of
    2021 registered under Section 25(1-

    b)a / 26 of the Arms Act in which O.P.
    No. 2 convicted by learned A.C.J.M.-

    VI, Bhojpur at Ara and appeal is
    pending bearing Cr. Appeal No. 54 of
    2023 before learned Additional Sessions
    Judge- II, Bhojpur at Ara and O.P. No.
    2 is on bail.

    5. That it is stated here that the pairvikar
    of O.P. No. 2 at the time of filing bail
    could not disclosed real criminal
    antecedent before learned counsel only
    he disclosed that petitioner is accused
    in Sahar P.S. Case No. 184 of 2021
    therefore learned counsel only
    mentioned in Para- 3 of bail application
    that petitioner is accused in Sahar P.S.
    Case No. 184 of 2021 which is clear
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    from the Para- 5 of cancellation of bail
    petition.

    6. That it is stated and submitted here that
    pairvikar of O.P. No. – 2 have no
    knowledge regarding the criminal
    antecedents of petitioner/ O.P. No.2
    therefore he could not disclosed the real
    fact before learned counsel.

    7. That it is stated here that in the main
    bail petition in Para- 7 statements has
    made that the injured persons have
    treated in AIIMS, Patna Suman Yada
    has sustained two gunshot and Savitri
    Kumari has also sustained two gun
    shots on left thigh which is not vital part
    of body, thus injuries are not grievous in
    nature, but no specific allegation
    against the petitioner rather allegation
    is general and omnibus.

    8. That it is stated and submitted here that
    this mistake has not been made by O.P.
    No.- 2 intentionally and deliberately
    rather same has occurred due to
    mistake by the pairvikar of O.P. No.- 2
    due to lack of knowledge for which O.P.
    No.- 2 is tendered apologies.”

    15. It is further submitted on behalf of the

    opposite party no.2 that the opposite party no.2 has since been

    acquitted in Khiri More P.S. Case No.59 of 2015 vide the

    judgment dated 19.04.2025 of the learned Trial Court, and that
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    he is on bail in the remaining cases. Lastly, it is submitted that

    the mere pendency of other criminal cases is not, by itself, a

    ground to deny bail, as held by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in

    Prabhakar Tewari v. State of U.P. & Anr., reported as (2020) 11

    SCC 648.

    16. I have heard learned counsel for the parties

    and considered their submissions. I have also perused the

    materials available on record, including the order dated

    20.06.2024 passed by the Co-ordinate Bench of this Court

    enlarging the opposite party no.2 on bail. It is apposite to note,

    at this stage, that the learned Judge who had granted bail vide

    the order dated 20.06.2024 has since demitted office, and the

    present application has, accordingly, been placed before this

    Bench.

    17. Upon hearing learned counsel for the parties

    and on a conspectus of the materials on record, the moot

    question that arises for consideration in the present application

    is whether the order dated 20.06.2024, granting regular bail to

    the opposite party no.2, was obtained by the suppression and

    misrepresentation of material facts, so as to vitiate the said order

    and warrant its annulment by this Court.

    18. Before adverting to the rival contentions, it
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    would be apposite to notice the settled law governing the subject

    matter. The Hon’ble Supreme Court, in the case of State of

    Karnataka v. Sri Darshan etc. (supra), has exhaustively

    surveyed the entire jurisprudence on the subject and has held as

    under:-

    “18. Let us now examine the jurisprudence
    on when bail may be annulled or
    cancelled. Two distinct categories have
    emerged in this regard:

    (A) Annulment of Bail due to
    legal infirmity in the order; and

    (B) Cancellation of Bail, i.e.,
    revocation of bail due to post-

    grant misconduct or supervening
    circumstances.

    (A). Annulment of bail orders

    18.1. This refers to the appellate or
    revisional power to set aside a bail
    order that is perverse, unjustified, or
    passed in violation of settled legal
    principles. It is concerned with defects
    existing at the time the bail was
    granted, without reference to
    subsequent conduct.

    xxxx

    (d) Non-consideration of material facts
    by the High Court

    22.4. An order that overlooks material
    evidence or proceeds on an erroneous
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    premise is perverse, and such
    perversity forms a valid ground for
    cancellation or setting aside of bail.”

    (emphasis supplied)

    19. The illustrative circumstances in which an

    order granting bail may itself be set aside were summarised by

    the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Deepak Yadav v. State

    of U.P. & Anr. (supra), as under:-

    “33. It is no doubt true that cancellation of
    bail cannot be limited to the occurrence
    of supervening circumstances. This
    Court certainly has inherent powers and
    discretion to cancel the bail of an
    accused even in the absence of
    supervening circumstances. Following
    are the illustrative circumstances where
    the bail can be cancelled:-

    xxxx

    33.3. Where the past criminal record and
    conduct of the accused is completely
    ignored while granting bail.

    33.4. Where bail has been granted on
    untenable grounds.

    33.5. Where serious discrepancies are found
    in the order granting bail thereby
    causing prejudice to justice.

    xxxx” (emphasis supplied)

    20. The distinction between the cancellation of

    bail on account of supervening circumstances or misuse of
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    liberty, on the one hand, and the annulment or setting aside of an

    unjustified, illegal or perverse order granting bail, on the other,

    was lucidly explained by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case

    of Neeru Yadav v. State of U.P. & Anr. (supra), in the following

    words:-

    “12. We have referred to certain principles to
    be kept in mind while granting bail, as
    has been laid down by this Court from
    time to time. It is well settled in law that
    cancellation of bail after it is granted
    because the accused has misconducted
    himself or of some supervening
    circumstances warranting such
    cancellation have occurred is in a
    different compartment altogether than
    an order granting bail which is
    unjustified, illegal and perverse. If in a
    case, the relevant factors which should
    have been taken into consideration
    while dealing with the application for
    bail and have not been taken note of,
    or bail is founded on irrelevant
    considerations, indisputably the
    superior court can set aside the order
    of such a grant of bail. Such a case
    belongs to a different category and is in
    a separate realm. While dealing with a
    case of second nature, the Court does
    not dwell upon the violation of
    conditions by the accused or the
    supervening circumstances that have
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    happened subsequently. It, on the
    contrary, delves into the justifiability
    and the soundness of the order passed
    by the Court.” (emphasis supplied)

    21. The position has been reiterated by the

    Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Ajwar v. Waseem & Anr.,

    reported as (2024) 10 SCC 768, wherein it has been held that

    although bail once granted ought not to be cancelled in a

    mechanical manner, an unreasoned or perverse order of bail is

    always open to interference by the superior Court, and that bail

    can be revoked where the Court granting it has ignored the

    relevant material available on record, even if the accused has

    not misused the bail granted to him. A three-Judge Bench had

    earlier taken the same view in Vipan Kumar Dhir v. State of

    Punjab & Anr., reported as (2021) 15 SCC 518, holding that,

    apart from cancellation for supervening misconduct, a superior

    Court may set aside an order granting bail where relevant

    material has been ignored or irrelevant factors have been taken

    into account.

    22. From the aforequoted judgments, a twofold

    touchstone emerges. The cancellation of bail on the ground of

    misconduct requires cogent and overwhelming supervening

    circumstances. The annulment of an order granting bail which is

    illegal, perverse or passed in ignorance of the relevant material,
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    on the other hand, is concerned with the defects existing at the

    time of the grant itself, and may be exercised irrespective of any

    subsequent misconduct on the part of the accused. An order

    which proceeds upon an erroneous premise, induced by the

    accused himself, falls squarely within the second category.

    23. The law is equally well settled that a litigant

    who obtains an order from a Court of law by suppressing or

    misrepresenting material facts commits fraud upon the Court,

    and such an order is vitiated at its very inception. In S.P.

    Chengalvaraya Naidu (Dead) by LRs. v. Jagannath (Dead) by

    LRs. & Ors., reported as (1994) 1 SCC 1, the Hon’ble Supreme

    Court held that the courts of law are meant for imparting justice

    between the parties, and one who comes to the court must come

    with clean hands. A person whose case is based on falsehood

    has no right to approach the court and can be summarily thrown

    out at any stage of the litigation.

    24. The consequence of fraud upon the judicial

    process was stated in emphatic terms by the Hon’ble Supreme

    Court in the case of A.V. Papayya Sastry & Ors. v. Government

    of A.P. & Ors., reported as (2007) 4 SCC 221. A judgment,

    decree or order obtained by playing fraud on the court is a

    nullity and non est in the eye of law, and it has to be treated as a
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    nullity by every court, whether superior or inferior. It can be

    challenged in any court, at any time, in appeal, revision, writ or

    even in collateral proceedings. It follows that the recall or

    cancellation of an order procured by playing fraud is not a

    review barred by Section 362 of the Code, rather it is a

    declaration that the order never had a legal existence.

    25. The aforesaid principle has been applied

    specifically to bail proceedings by the Hon’ble Supreme Court

    in the case of Kusha Duruka v. State of Odisha (supra),

    wherein it has been observed that the suppression of material

    facts from the court of law is actually playing fraud with the

    court, and the maxim suppressio veri, expressio falsi, that is to

    say, the suppression of the truth is equivalent to the expression

    of falsehood, stands attracted to such conduct. It has further

    been observed therein that a litigant who attempts to pollute the

    stream of justice, or who touches the pure fountain of justice

    with tainted hands, is not entitled to any relief.

    26. A Coordinate Bench of this Court, in the

    case of Mohd. Rustam v. State of Bihar, reported as 2017 SCC

    OnLine Pat 3929, applied the very same principle to a bail

    order obtained by concealing criminal antecedents, and held as

    under:-

    “19. The antecedent of the applicant, seeking
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    anticipatory bail, is one of the four
    considerations statutorily prescribed as
    condition precedent for the High Court
    or Court in Sessions to grant
    anticipatory bail. There being statutory
    requirement to this effect, under Section
    438 of the Code, this Court had called
    for a report from the district police as
    regards petitioner’s criminal
    antecedent. The petitioner had
    apparently not disclosed his criminal
    antecedent in his application. The
    district police, more particularly
    opposite party No. 3, misled this Court
    by giving false information that
    opposite party No. 2 had no criminal
    antecedent. This requirement is not
    there either under Section 437 or
    Section 439 of the Code. Laying down
    in the Statute itself, as to what would be
    the considerations for grant of
    anticipatory bail, is of great
    significance and its importance cannot
    be undermined. If the Court was
    fraudulently misled to exercise power
    under Section 438 of the Code by
    supplying wrong information
    collusively, an exercise to cancel
    anticipatory bail, so granted, shall not
    amount to review of the order rather a
    mere declaration that the order
    granting anticipatory bail was obtained
    by fraud.

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    xxxx

    23. The plea that even if a fraud of any
    nature is detected while allowing an
    application for anticipatory bail,
    subsequently the same cannot be
    cancelled by the High Court in any
    circumstance is not acceptable to me.
    For example, if by way of tampering or
    interpolations in the First Information
    Report itself, a person succeeds in
    obtaining anticipatory bail, will the
    High Court be not justified in cancelling
    the anticipatory bail, so granted, if
    fraud is detected subsequently? The
    game played by the police in the present
    case by making available to the High
    Court a false information to help the
    Opposite Party No. 2, in my view, is a
    good ground for cancellation of bail
    because criminal antecedent of the
    accused has been provided as
    consideration for grant of anticipatory
    bail in the Code itself. The High Court
    has wide powers to pass appropriate
    orders to prevent abuse of process of the
    Court and to otherwise secure ends of
    justice under Section 482 of the Code.
    Once fraud is detected and established,
    the High Court shall be well within its
    jurisdiction and can certainly exercise
    its power under Section 482 of the
    Code, even for the purpose of
    cancellation of bail in appropriate
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    cases.

    24. Considering the long list of cases
    pending against opposite party No. 2
    and taking into account the fact that the
    information with respect to his criminal
    antecedent was suppressed deliberately,
    I consider it to be a fit case for
    cancellation of bail granted to opposite
    party No. 2 by order of this Court, dated
    29.3.2012, passed in Criminal Misc. No.
    39834 of 2011.” (emphasis supplied)

    27. In the aforesaid decision wherein the bail

    obtained by an accused upon a false projection of clean

    antecedents, when he was, in fact, implicated in about seventeen

    criminal cases, was cancelled in exercise of the power under

    Section 439(2) of the Code, and the Co-ordinate Bench of this

    Court had held, following A.V. Papayya Sastry (supra) and

    Abdul Basit (supra), that the recall of an order obtained by fraud

    is not a review barred by Section 362 of the Code. It is true that

    in the aforesaid decision of Mohd. Rustam (supra) the orders

    cancelled were orders of anticipatory bail, granted under a

    provision in which the antecedents of the applicant are a

    statutorily enumerated consideration. The principle, however, is

    not confined to Section 438 of the Code. The duty of candour

    flows not from the text of any particular provision but from the

    character of bail as a discretionary relief, and its breach has been
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    visited with cancellation in cases of regular bail as well, as the

    decisions noticed hereinafter demonstrate.

    28. The obligation of the accused to place his

    criminal antecedents before the Court considering his prayer for

    bail has recently been emphasised by a three-Judge Bench of the

    Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Kaushal Singh v. State of

    Rajasthan (supra). Though the case had travelled to the Hon’ble

    Supreme Court with regard to and assailing the strictures being

    passed against a Judicial Officer, the underlying case was one in

    which regular bail, granted without consideration of the criminal

    antecedents of the accused, was cancelled in exercise of the

    power under Section 439(2) of the Code, upon the finding that

    the Court had been misled while the bail was sought. For the

    present purposes, the relevant observation of the Hon’ble

    Supreme Court is as under:-

    “22. Before parting, we would like to state
    that, accounting for the criminal
    antecedents of the accused while
    considering the bail applications has
    been the subject matter of concern for
    Courts across the country. The rules
    and orders of the Punjab and Haryana
    High Court, to be specific, Rule 5 of
    Chapter 1-A(b) Volume-V specifically
    provide as below:

    “5. Bail applications. – In every
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    application for bail presented to
    the High Court the petitioner
    shall state whether similar
    application has or has not been
    made to the Supreme Court, and
    if made shall state the result
    thereof. The petitioner/applicant
    shall also mention whether
    he/she is/was involved in any
    other criminal case or not. If
    yes, particulars and decisions
    thereof. An application which
    does not contain this
    information shall be placed
    before the bench with the
    necessary information.”

    23. We feel that every High Court in the
    country should consider incorporating a
    similar provision in the respective High
    Court Rules and/or Criminal Side Rules
    as it would impose an obligation on the
    accused to make disclosures regarding
    his/her involvement in any other
    criminal case(s) previously registered.”

    29. The materiality of criminal antecedents to

    the exercise of the bail discretion is beyond the pale of

    controversy. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in Kalyan Chandra

    Sarkar v. Rajesh Ranjan @ Pappu Yadav & Anr., reported as

    (2004) 7 SCC 528, had emphasised that the Court granting bail

    in a serious offence must consider, among other circumstances,
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    the nature of the accusation, the severity of the punishment and

    the supporting evidence. In the recent pronouncement in Rajni

    v. State of Punjab (supra), the Hon’ble Supreme Court, while

    setting aside the grant of bail in a case of an armed mob attack

    resulting in death, has held that criminal antecedents are a

    material factor bearing directly upon the likelihood of an

    accused abiding by the conditions of bail, refraining from

    repeating offences or desisting from intimidating the witnesses,

    and that they must, therefore, weigh heavily with the Court

    considering the prayer for bail. In Ajwar v. Waseem (supra), the

    Hon’ble Supreme Court had laid down the relevant parameters

    for granting bail and held that the Courts must consider relevant

    factors like the nature of the accusations made against the

    accused, the manner in which the crime is alleged to have been

    committed, the gravity of the offence, the role attributed to the

    accused, the criminal antecedents of the accused, the probability

    of tampering of the witnesses and repeating the offence, if the

    accused are released on bail, the likelihood of the accused being

    unavailable in the event bail is granted, the possibility of

    obstructing the proceedings and evading the courts of justice

    and the overall desirability of releasing the accused on bail.

    30. Recently the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the
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    case of Zeba Khan v. State of U.P. & Ors., reported as 2026

    SCC OnLine SC 188 had emphasised the materiality and

    imperativeness of complete and candid disclosure of criminal

    antecedents of the accused praying for grant of bail. The

    Hon’ble Supreme Court had held as under:-

    “28. In Ash Mohammad v. Shiv Raj Singh @
    Lalla Babu
    , (2012) 9 SCC 446 this Court
    underscored that criminal antecedents
    cannot be ignored, particularly where the
    nature of allegations and their societal
    impact are grave. The Court clarified that
    while a history-sheeter is not disentitled to
    bail as a rule, antecedents constitute a
    significant factor in the exercise of judicial
    discretion. The relevant passage reads as
    under:

    “28. Coming to the nature of crime it is
    perceivable that two persons came
    on a motorcycle and kidnapped
    Bihari Lal and kept him in
    confinement for eight days. The role
    of the accused is clearly stated. It is
    apt to note that a history-sheeter has
    a recorded past. The High Court, in
    toto, has ignored the criminal
    antecedents of the accused. What
    has weighed with the High Court is
    that the accused had spent seven
    months in custody. That may be one
    of the factors but that cannot be the
    whole and the sole factor in every
    case. It depends upon the nature of
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    the offence, the manner in which it
    is committed and its impact on the
    society. We may hasten to add that
    when we state that the accused is a
    history-sheeter we may not be
    understood to have said that a
    history-sheeter is never entitled to
    bail. But, it is a significant factor to
    be taken note of regard being had to
    the nature of crime in respect of
    which he has been booked. In the
    case at hand, as the prosecution
    case unfolds, the accused did not
    want anyone to speak against his
    activities. He had sent two persons to
    kidnap Bihari Lal, who remained in
    confinement for eight days. The
    victim was tortured. Kidnapping, as
    an offence, is on the increase
    throughout the country. Sometimes it
    is dealt with formidable skill and
    sometimes with terror and sometimes
    with threat or brute force. The crime
    relating to kidnapping has taken
    many a contour. True it is, sometimes
    allegations are made that a guardian
    has kidnapped a child or a boy in
    love has kidnapped a girl. They do
    stand on a different footing. But
    kidnapping for ransom or for
    revenge or to spread terror or to
    establish authority are in a different
    realm altogether. In the present case
    the victim had been kidnapped under
    threat, confined and abused. The sole
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    reason for kidnapping is because the
    victim had shown some courage to
    speak against the accused. This may
    be the purpose for sustaining of
    authority in the area by the accused
    and his criminal antecedents, speak
    eloquently in that regard. In his plea
    for bail the accused had stated that
    such offences had been registered
    because of political motivations but
    the range of offence and their
    alleged years of occurrence do not
    lend prima facie acceptance to the
    same. Thus, in the present case his
    criminal antecedents could not have
    been totally ignored.” (Emphasis
    Supplied)

    29. Similarly, in Neeru Yadav v. State of Uttar
    Pradesh
    (2016) 15 SCC 422, this Court set
    aside a bail order on the ground that
    relevant factors, including criminal
    antecedents, had been completely ignored,
    holding that such a grant of bail amounted
    to a deviant exercise of discretion
    warranting appellate interference. The
    relevant paragraphs are extracted below:

    “15. This being the position of law, it is
    clear as cloudless sky that the High
    Court has totally ignored the
    criminal antecedents of the accused.
    What has weighed with the High
    Court is the doctrine of parity. A
    history-sheeter involved in the nature
    of crimes which we have reproduced
    hereinabove, are not minor offences
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    so that he is not to be retained in
    custody, but the crimes are of
    heinous nature and such crimes, by
    no stretch of imagination, can be
    regarded as jejune. Such cases do
    create a thunder and lightning
    having the effect potentiality of
    torrential rain in an analytical mind.

    The law expects the judiciary to be
    alert while admitting these kind of
    accused persons to be at large and,
    therefore, the emphasis is on
    exercise of discretion judiciously
    and not in a whimsical manner.

    18. Before parting with the case, we may
    repeat with profit that it is not an
    appeal for cancellation of bail as the
    cancellation is not sought because of
    supervening circumstances. The
    annulment of the order passed by
    the High Court is sought as many
    relevant factors have not been taken
    into consideration which includes
    the criminal antecedents of the
    accused and that makes the order a
    deviant one. Therefore, the
    inevitable result is the lancination of
    the impugned order [Budhpal v. State
    of U.P.
    , 2014 SCC OnLine All
    14815]”(Emphasis Supplied)

    30. The principles reiterated by a three-Judge
    Bench in Brijmani Devi v. Pappu Kumar
    (2022) 4 SCC 497 further emphasise that
    while personal liberty under Article 21 of the
    Constitution is invaluable, courts must
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    balance such liberty against the nature of
    the accusations, supporting material,
    criminal antecedents, and the broader
    societal impact. Bail discretion must be
    exercised judiciously and supported by
    reasons grounded in the material on record.

    The following observations are apposite:

    “21. In Gudikanti Narasimhulu v.
    Public Prosecutor, A.P. High
    Court,
    [(1978) 1 SCC 240 : 1978 SCC (Cri)
    115], Krishna Iyer, J., while
    elaborating on the content and
    meaning of Article 21 of the
    Constitution of India, has also
    elaborated the factors that have to be
    considered while granting bail which
    are extracted as under: (SCC p. 244,
    paras 7-9)
    “7. It is thus obvious that the
    nature of the charge is the vital
    factor and the nature of the
    evidence also is pertinent. The
    punishment to which the party
    may be liable, if convicted or
    conviction is confirmed, also
    bears upon the issue.

    8. Another relevant
    factor is as to whether
    the course of justice
    would be thwarted by
    him who seeks the
    benignant jurisdiction
    of the Court to be freed
    for the time being.

                                                                         [Patrick Devlin : The
                                                                         Criminal      Prosecution
    

    Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.54892 of 2024 dt.23-07-2026
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    in England, (London)
    1960, p. 75 — Mod.

    Law Rev. ibid., p. 54]

    9. Thus the legal
    principles and practice
    validate the Court
    considering the
    likelihood of the
    applicant interfering
    with witnesses for the
    prosecution or
    otherwise polluting the
    process of justice. It is
    not only traditional but
    rational, in this
    context, to enquire
    into the antecedents of
    a man who is applying
    for bail to find
    whether he has a bad
    record — particularly
    a record which
    suggests that he is
    likely to commit
    serious offences while
    on bail. In regard to
    habituals, it is part of
    criminological history
    that a thoughtless bail
    order has enabled the
    bailee to exploit the
    opportunity to inflict
    further crimes on the
    members of society.

    Bail discretion, on the
    basis of evidence about
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    the criminal record of
    a defendant, is
    therefore not an
    exercise in
    irrelevance.”

    35. While we are conscious of
    the fact that liberty of an
    individual is an invaluable
    right, at the same time while
    considering an application
    for bail courts cannot lose
    sight of the serious nature of
    the accusations against an
    accused and the facts that
    have a bearing in the case,
    particularly, when the
    accusations may not be false,
    frivolous or vexatious in
    nature but are supported by
    adequate material brought on
    record so as to enable a court
    to arrive at a prima facie
    conclusion. While
    considering an application
    for grant of bail a prima facie
    conclusion must be supported
    by reasons and must be
    arrived at after having regard
    to the vital facts of the case
    brought on record. Due
    consideration must be given
    to facts suggestive of the
    nature of crime, the criminal
    antecedents of the accused, if
    any, and the nature of
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    punishment that would
    follow a conviction vis-à-vis
    the offence(s) alleged against
    an accused.” (Emphasis
    Supplied)

    31. Of particular concern in the present case
    is the prima facie material indicating that
    Respondent No. 2 suppressed his criminal
    antecedents before the High Court by stating
    that he had no criminal history except the
    present FIR. Such incorrect and incomplete
    disclosure appears to have materially
    influenced the exercise of discretion in his
    favour, thereby vitiating the bail order.

    xxxx

    47. As repeatedly observed by this Court, bail
    applications are examined at multiple stages

    – from the trial Court to the High Court and
    ultimately this Court – where courts are often
    constrained to take a prima facie view on
    incomplete or selectively presented records.
    Non-disclosure of material aspects such as
    criminal antecedents, prior bail rejections,
    duration of custody, compliance with
    constitutional and statutory safeguards,
    and the progress of trial may result in the
    unwarranted grant of bail, or conversely,
    the prolonged incarceration of accused
    persons despite substantial custody having
    already been undergone.

    48. Thus, this Court is of the view that every
    petitioner or applicant seeking bail, at any
    stage of proceedings, is under an obligation
    to disclose all material particulars,
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    including criminal antecedents and the
    existence of any coercive processes such as
    issuance of non-bailable warrants,
    declaration as a proclaimed offender, or
    similar proceedings, duly supported by an
    affidavit, so as to promote uniformity,
    transparency and integrity in bail
    adjudication.” (emphasis supplied)

    31. It follows, as a necessary corollary, that

    every applicant for bail is under a solemn obligation to make a

    fair, complete and candid disclosure of his criminal antecedents,

    and that the suppression, concealment or selective disclosure of

    such material facts is an abuse of the process which strikes at

    the very root of the administration of criminal justice.

    32. Tested on the anvil of the aforesaid

    principles, the impugned order, in the considered opinion of this

    Court, cannot be sustained.

    33. In the first place, the factum of suppression

    stands admitted on the record. Paragraph no.4 of the counter

    affidavit itself enumerates the five criminal cases in which the

    opposite party no.2 stands implicated, including Sahar P.S. Case

    No.111 of 2019, being a case of murder, and Sahar P.S. Case

    No.184 of 2021 under the Arms Act, in which he stands

    convicted, with Cr. Appeal No.54 of 2023 pending. As against

    this, paragraph no.3 of the bail petition disclosed a solitary case,
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    and that too as a mere accusation, coupled with the positive

    averment of fair antecedent. The suppression is, therefore, not a

    matter of inference but of admission. Four criminal cases,

    including a case of murder, were wholly concealed, and the

    solitary case which was disclosed was presented as a pending

    accusation, thereby concealing the conviction recorded therein.

    34. A half-truth of this species is, in the eye of

    law, more pernicious than a complete falsehood, for it wears the

    garb of candour. Upon the edifice of this double concealment, a

    positive representation of fair antecedent was advanced before

    the Coordinate Bench of this Court, and it is by relying upon

    that representation that the Coordinate Bench enlarged the

    opposite party no.2 on bail.

    35. In the second place, the suppression was

    material, and demonstrably so. The impugned order, in

    paragraph no.4 thereof, expressly records the submission that

    the petitioner has clean antecedent as stated in para 3 of the bail

    petition, and it thereafter proceeds to enlarge the opposite party

    no.2 on bail upon a consideration of the aforesaid facts and

    circumstances. The false portrayal of clean antecedents was,

    therefore, not a stray averment lying dormant on the record,

    rather it had entered the very consideration of the Coordinate
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    Bench and constituted one of the foundations of the exercise of

    the discretion. An order so founded proceeds upon an erroneous

    premise induced by the accused himself, and is perverse within

    the meaning of paragraph 22.4 of Sri Darshan (supra), and the

    case squarely falls within the circumstances enumerated in

    paragraphs 33.3, 33.4 and 33.5 of Deepak Yadav (supra). Had

    the complete antecedents, including the pending case of murder

    and the subsisting conviction under the Arms Act, been placed

    before the Coordinate Bench, it cannot be predicated that the

    discretion would still have been exercised in favour of the

    opposite party no.2, and it is precisely this consideration of

    which the Coordinate Bench came to be deprived.

    36. In the third place, the misrepresentation was

    not confined to the criminal antecedents. In paragraph no.7 of

    the bail petition, the opposite party no.2 asserted that the injuries

    are not grievous in nature. The injury reports of AIIMS, Patna,

    however, are wholly to the contrary. The two penetrating

    gunshot wounds sustained by Savitri Kumari, a girl of about

    seventeen years, are opined therein to be grievous in nature, and

    the injured Suman Yadav sustained penetrating gunshot wounds

    on the right upper quadrant of the abdomen and on the flank.

    The impugned order, which records the submission that the
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    injuries sustained by the informant’s side are simple in nature,

    stands vitiated on this count as well, having been invited upon a

    misstatement of the injury reports.

    37. The explanation offered in the counter

    affidavit, that the non-disclosure occurred due to the mistake

    and the lack of knowledge of the pairvikar, for which apologies

    have been tendered, is wholly untenable and is noticed only to

    be rejected. The opposite party no.2 had himself suffered the

    prosecution in each of the five cases. He had faced the trial and

    suffered the conviction in Sahar P.S. Case No.184 of 2021, and

    he is prosecuting an appeal against that very conviction. He,

    therefore, knew his own antecedents best, and he cannot be

    permitted to reap the benefit of a falsehood advanced on his

    behalf and, when confronted, take shelter behind the alleged

    ignorance of his pairvikar. To countenance such an explanation

    would be to place a premium upon the practice of suppression,

    for every successful suppression would then be defended as the

    handiwork, or the innocent mistake, of an uninstructed agent.

    The tender of an apology, howsoever genuine and contrite,

    cannot efface the advantage obtained by the fraud, for the

    question is not one of repentance but of the integrity of the

    judicial process.

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    38. This Court is conscious that a strict standard

    governs the plea of suppression. In Soni Kumari v. State of

    Bihar & Anr., Criminal Miscellaneous No.26300 of 2017,

    decided on 02.01.2019, and in Dr. (Prof.) Shree Narayan Jha

    v. State of Bihar & Ors., Criminal Miscellaneous No.53963 of

    2015, decided on 10.12.2018, this Court declined to cancel bail

    on the ground of suppression where the allegedly suppressed

    case had been instituted after the bail petition was filed, or

    where the concealed cases were not shown to be within the

    knowledge of the accused. The present case satisfies even that

    exacting standard. Every one of the five cases predates the bail

    petition, and the conviction concealed was one which the

    opposite party no.2 had personally suffered and is personally

    appealing against. The suppressed facts, therefore, existed on

    the date of the bail petition and were within the personal

    knowledge of the opposite party no.2.

    39. The submission founded upon the

    subsequent acquittal of the opposite party no.2 in Khiri More

    P.S. Case No.59 of 2015, vide the judgment dated 19.04.2025, is

    equally of no avail. The duty of candour is to be judged as on

    the date of the bail petition. On 20.06.2024, when the impugned

    order came to be passed, the said case was pending against the
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    opposite party no.2 and was liable to be disclosed, so that it

    could be weighed by the Coordinate Bench. An acquittal

    recorded ten months after the grant of bail cannot relate back so

    as to legitimise the concealment, nor does it touch the

    concealment of the remaining cases and of the conviction under

    the Arms Act, which subsists even today.

    40. Equally misconceived is the reliance placed

    upon Prabhakar Tewari (supra). The proposition that the

    pendency of criminal cases is not, by itself, an absolute bar to

    the grant of bail is unexceptionable, but it is beside the point in

    the facts of the present case. The question in the present

    application is not whether the antecedents of the opposite party

    no.2 would necessarily have disentitled him to bail. The

    question is that the Court, and the Court alone, was entitled to

    weigh those antecedents, along with the gravity of the

    accusation and the other relevant considerations, in deciding

    whether to extend the discretionary relief of bail, and it is this

    exercise of weighment of which the Co-ordinate Bench of this

    Court was deprived by the suppression. The accused cannot

    arrogate to himself the function of deciding which of his

    antecedents are relevant and which may safely be withheld, for

    that function belongs to the Court alone.

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    41. The submissions founded upon Dolat Ram

    (supra) and Abdul Basit (supra), and upon the conduct of the

    opposite party no.2 subsequent to his enlargement, proceed

    upon a misconception of the nature of the present application.

    The present is not a case of cancellation of bail on the ground of

    supervening misconduct, in which event alone the absence of

    misuse of the liberty would have assumed significance. The

    present application invokes the power of this Court to annul an

    order granting bail which was obtained by suppression and

    which proceeds upon an erroneous premise, and, as held in

    Puran v. Rambilas & Anr., reported as (2001) 6 SCC 338,

    Neeru Yadav (supra) and Sri Darshan (supra), such power is

    distinct from the power to cancel bail for misuse of liberty and

    does not require any supervening circumstance to be shown. In

    Jayaben v. Tejas Kanubhai Zala & Anr., reported as (2022) 3

    SCC 230, the Hon’ble Supreme Court held in terms that once the

    order granting bail is found to be unsustainable, the cancellation

    of the bail must follow as a necessary consequence, irrespective

    of any misuse of the liberty, and in Centrum Financial Services

    Ltd. v. State (NCT of Delhi) & Anr., reported as 2022 SCC

    OnLine SC 100, it was held that the mere circumstance that the

    accused has not misused the liberty after his release cannot
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    validate an otherwise unsustainable order granting bail. An

    order obtained by suppression of material facts confers no

    equity upon its beneficiary, and the circumstance that the fruits

    of the fraud have not been misused is no answer to the fraud

    itself.

    42. The learned counsel for the opposite party

    no.2 has, however, placed strong reliance upon the decision of

    the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Himanshu Sharma v. State of

    Madhya Pradesh (supra), wherein the cancellation, by a learned

    Single Judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, of the bail

    granted earlier by another learned Single Judge of the same

    High Court was disapproved, and it was held that an order

    granting bail can be set aside, on the ground of being illegal or

    contrary to law, only by a Court superior to the Court which

    granted the bail. The Hon’ble Supreme Court held as under:-

    “11. Law is well settled by a catena of
    judgments rendered by this Court that
    the considerations for grant of bail and
    cancellation thereof are entirely
    different. Bail granted to an accused
    can only be cancelled if the Court is
    satisfied that after being released on
    bail, (a) the accused has misused the
    liberty granted to him; (b) flouted the
    conditions of bail order; (c) that the bail
    was granted in ignorance of statutory
    Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.54892 of 2024 dt.23-07-2026
    42/46

    provisions restricting the powers of the
    Court to grant bail; (d) or that the bail
    was procured by misrepresentation or
    fraud. In the present case, none of
    these situations existed.” (emphasis
    supplied)

    43. Far from advancing the case of the opposite

    party no.2, the decision in Himanshu Sharma (supra), in the

    considered opinion of this Court, furnishes the very charter for

    the exercise of the power invoked in the present application. The

    Hon’ble Supreme Court has, in terms, recognised, in category

    (d) of paragraph no.11 extracted hereinabove, that bail already

    granted can be cancelled where it was procured by

    misrepresentation or fraud, and such cancellation, by its very

    nature, does not depend upon any misconduct or supervening

    circumstance arising after the grant. The cancellation in that

    case was disapproved upon the categorical finding that none of

    the four situations existed on the facts of that case, the allegation

    of misrepresentation therein being, in substance, a re-agitation

    of the merits of the order granting bail. The present case stands

    on an entirely different footing. The fraud practised upon this

    Court is not a matter of allegation requiring adjudication. It is a

    matter of admission, for paragraph no.4 of the counter affidavit

    itself admits the five criminal cases, including the case of
    Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.54892 of 2024 dt.23-07-2026
    43/46

    murder and the subsisting conviction under the Arms Act, which

    were withheld from this Court when the positive averment of

    fair antecedent was advanced in paragraph no.3 of the bail

    petition and acted upon in paragraph no.4 of the order dated

    20.06.2024. The challenge in the present application is,

    therefore, not to the soundness of the discretion exercised by the

    Coordinate Bench upon the material disclosed to it, which

    discretion this Court neither reviews nor sits in appeal over. The

    challenge is to the deception by which the relevant material was

    kept away from the Coordinate Bench altogether, and an order

    procured by such deception is, as held in A.V. Papayya Sastry

    (supra), a nullity which confers no enforceable right upon its

    procurer.

    44. The position now stands concluded by the

    recent order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Suraj

    Mahananda v. State of West Bengal, S.L.P. (Crl.) Nos.9148-

    9149 of 2026, decided on 27.05.2026, wherein it has been

    observed as under:-

    “6. We fail to understand why the High
    Court says that a coordinate Bench
    cannot cancel the bail granted to an co-
    accused. If the bail has been obtained
    by placing wrong facts before the High
    Court, the Court can always look into
    the matter and pass an appropriate
    Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.54892 of 2024 dt.23-07-2026
    44/46

    order.” (emphasis supplied)

    45. A Coordinate Bench of this Court is,

    therefore, fully competent to cancel bail which was obtained by

    placing wrong facts before this Court, and the present

    application, which falls squarely within category (d) recognised

    in Himanshu Sharma (supra), is maintainable before this

    Bench, particularly when the learned Judge who passed the

    order dated 20.06.2024 has since demitted office.

    46. The gravity of the accusation only fortifies

    the conclusion. The allegation against the opposite party no.2 is

    of coming to the door of the informant as part of an armed

    assembly and of firing from a pistol with the intention to kill, as

    a result whereof three persons, including a girl of seventeen

    years, sustained gunshot injuries. The parties are co-villagers,

    the injured and the other witnesses reside in the same village as

    the opposite party no.2, and the fardbeyan itself describes him

    as a man of criminal disposition who was then freshly released

    from jail. In Sudha Singh v. State of U.P. & Anr., reported as

    2021 SCC OnLine SC 342, the Hon’ble Supreme Court

    cautioned that Courts cannot proceed with a blinkered vision,

    ignoring the antecedents of the accused and the potential threat

    which his release poses to the witnesses. In a case of this nature,

    the complete criminal antecedents of the opposite party no.2
    Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.54892 of 2024 dt.23-07-2026
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    were, therefore, not merely a relevant consideration but a vital

    one.

    47. For the foregoing reasons, this Court is of the

    considered opinion that the order dated 20.06.2024 passed in Cr.

    Misc. No.41671 of 2024 was obtained by the opposite party

    no.2 upon a deliberate suppression of his criminal antecedents

    and a misrepresentation as to the nature of the injuries. The said

    suppression and misrepresentation were material and entered the

    very foundation of the exercise of the discretion resulting in the

    impugned order granting bail. The suppression of such material

    facts disentitles the opposite party no.2 from continuing to enjoy

    the privilege of bail.

    48. Accordingly, the present application is

    allowed. The order dated 20.06.2024 passed by the Coordinate

    Bench of this Court in Cr. Misc. No.41671 of 2024, enlarging

    the opposite party no.2, Madhes Kumar @ Ankit @ Madhes

    Yadav, on bail in connection with Khiri More P.S. Case No.06

    of 2024, is hereby cancelled. The bail bonds furnished by the

    opposite party no.2 also stand cancelled. The opposite party

    no.2 shall surrender before the learned Court below within a

    period of three weeks from today, failing which the Senior

    Superintendent of Police, Patna, shall take all appropriate steps,
    Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.54892 of 2024 dt.23-07-2026
    46/46

    in accordance with law, for securing his custody.

    49. The learned Trial Court is directed to

    proceed with the trial and conclude the same as expeditiously as

    possible, without being influenced by any observation made

    herein.

    50. It is made abundantly clear that the

    observations made hereinabove are confined to the

    consideration of the present application and shall not be

    construed as an expression of any opinion on the merits of the

    case, which shall be decided by the learned Trial Court

    uninfluenced by the same.

    51. Let a copy of this order be communicated to

    the learned Principal District & Sessions Judge, Patna, through

    FAX/e-mail, for its compliance.

    (Sandeep Kumar, J)
    Shishir/-

    AFR/NAFR                NAFR
    CAV DATE                N/A
    Uploading Date          29.07.2026
    Transmission Date       29.07.2026
     



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